ARLINGTON, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/10/13 -- Opower, the global leader in customer engagement solutions for the utility industry, today announced that John Rowe, former chairman and CEO of Exelon, and Dick Kelly, former CEO of Xcel Energy and chairman of EEI, have joined its advisory board. Tom Brady, former chairman of BGE, has also been named the chairman of the advisory board. All three are widely recognized as industry leaders among state energy commissioners, regulatory commissioners and utility executives around the world.
"John Rowe, Dick Kelly and Tom Brady bring deep industry knowledge and customer engagement experience to Opower," said Dan Yates, founder and CEO of Opower. "Their knowledge of the utility industry, support for energy efficiency and leadership -- both in the U.S. and abroad -- will help guide Opower's growth."
Exelon is the third largest power company in the U.S. Its family of companies includes Exelon Generation and delivery companies BGE, ComEd and PECO. Xcel Energy, based in Minnesota, operates in eight states and serves more than 3.3 million electric customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers. EEI is the primary representative organization for all U.S. investor-owned utilities.
"My colleagues at Exelon have been extremely impressed with the results of Opower's customer engagement platform," said Rowe. "I'm excited to join Opower's advisory board because it is helping to transform the utility industry by creating lasting relationships between the utility and their customers."
"Energy efficiency is a critical component of any utility portfolio and will be increasingly important as demand for energy increases across the globe," said Kelly. "Opower provides a proven and tested solution that drives energy efficiency across every demographic and has already saved customers over 2 billion kilowatt hours of energy."
"For the past two and half years, I have helped guide Opower's growth," said Brady. "I am thrilled to chair the advisory board to help champion Opower's leadership and partnerships with utilities for years to come."
In addition to Rowe, Kelly and Brady, existing Opower advisory board members include Fred Butler, former Board of Directors at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), and Dian Gruenich, former Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission. Opower will continue to add leaders to its advisory board in 2013.
John Rowe, Advisor
John W. Rowe is Chairman Emeritus of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation. Rowe led Exelon from its formation in 2000 through the completion of its acquisition of Constellation Energy in 2012. Rowe previously held chief executive officer positions at the New England Electric System and Central Maine Power Company, served as general counsel of Consolidated Rail Corporation, and was a partner in the law firm of Isham, Lincoln & Beale. He is the lead independent director of the Northern Trust Company and a member of the board of directors of The Allstate Corporation and SunCoke Energy. Rowe serves as chairman of the Illinois Institute of Technology, New Schools for Chicago and the Field Museum and as president of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. Rowe holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif. He has also received that university's Distinguished Alumni Award. Rowe and his wife, Jeanne, reside in Chicago.
Dick Kelly, Advisor
Dick Kelly began his career with Public Service Company of Colorado, filling a variety of finance-related positions. In 1995, the company merged with Southwestern Public Service Company to form New Century Energies (NCE), where Kelly served as Chief Financial Officer. In 2000, New Century Energies (NCE) and Northern States Power Company merged to form Xcel Energy. Kelly served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Xcel Energy from 2005 until September 2011. Kelly currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Regis University, Chairman of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum of Minnesota. He also serves as a board member of the Capital City Partnership, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and Canadian Pacific Railway.
Tom Brady, Chairman
Tom Brady is Chairman of the Board of Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) (NYSE: OFC), an S&P 400 office real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on serving the specialized requirements of U.S Government and Defense Information Technology tenants. Prior to becoming COPT's Chairman, Tom was Chairman of the Board of Baltimore Gas & Electric Company (BGE) and Executive Vice President - Corporate Strategy at Constellation Energy Group (CEG) (formerly (NYSE: CEG), now part of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC)). Tom is a director of ENBALA Power Networks, a Trustee and Treasurer of the Board of Stevenson University, and served as the Chairman of Maryland Public Broadcasting and Maryland Public Television from 2003 to 2007. Tom received a BS in Accounting from University of Baltimore, an MBA from Loyola University, completed an Executive Program at Penn State University and was a certified public accountant.
About Opower
Working with 85 utility partners and serving more than 16 million consumers across seven countries, Opower is the world's leading provider of customer engagement solutions for the utility industry. By providing the tools, information and incentives consumers need to make smarter decisions about their energy use, Opower's engagement platform and solution suite, Opower 4, enables utilities to involve their customers in programs that support energy efficiency goals, smart grid and new rate structures, brand loyalty and lowering the cost of service. Proven to drive behavioral change at scale, Opower has helped its utility partners achieve more than 2 TWhs in energy savings, and drives significant increases in customer program participation and overall customer satisfaction. Founded in 2007 and privately held, Opower is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices in San Francisco and London. For more information, please visit www.opower.com and follow us on Twitter at @Opower.